Elections board rejects complaint against Moffitt

ASHEVILLE – The N.C. Board of Elections has dismissed a complaint against state Rep. Tim Moffitt by Democratic challenger Brian Turner that Moffitt offered him a state job in exchange for pulling out of the race.

The board ruled following an investigation that there’s no evidence Moffitt, R-Buncombe, broke election laws during a private meeting Feb. 24 at Travinia Italian Kitchen in Biltmore Park.

Turner alleged Moffitt asked him to drop out of the race. He said Moffitt told him he wanted to focus on running for House speaker instead of running for re-election in District 116.

Moffitt suggested at the meeting he would be rewarded if he quit and punished if he did not, according to Turner. The reward would be a running UNC-TV and the punishment would be ads by outside political groups that would destroy his and his family’s reputation, Turner said.

Sheryll Harris, a compliance officer with the Board of Elections, said in a letter to Turner on Monday that the investigation did not find Moffitt violated elections laws.

Turner’s sworn affidavit, “even when viewed in a light most favorable to your point of view, does not establish that Moffitt offered you a job in exchange for your withdrawal from the campaign,” Harris said.

Buncombe County Commission David King, who was at the meeting with Moffitt and Turner, also provided a statement to investigators.

“Moffitt refutes your accusations in his sworn statement, and King’s sworn statement supports Moffitt’s version of the exchange rather than yours,” Harris said.

Moffitt said in his statement to the board that he never suggested he could get Turner a job with UNC-TV.

“Turner’s allegations are an attempt to adulterate and contort the true contents of our discussion for inappropriate personal and political gain,” he said.

The state Ethics Commission dismissed a similar complaint in May.

“I’m glad the Board of Elections saw enough merit in my complaint to conduct a thorough investigation,” Turner said Tuesday. “But I’m disappointed in the outcome.

Moffitt on Tuesday called the board’s ruling “a devastating rebuke of Turner.”

“It takes time, energy and resources to deal with this kind of thing,” Moffitt said. “It is a clear abuse of process for political purposes.”

Turner faces incumbent Moffitt for the District 116 seat in the Nov. 4 general election.